IKEA hiring for Charlotte store

In Charlotte, N.C., where new home and condo construction still shows strength in the face of the housing downturn, IKEA is planning to expand with a new store in the University City area.

IKEA is advertising for 400 new employees for the store, which is the company’s first in the Carolinas and its 36th in the United States. The store is set to open in spring 2009.

In addition to regular staff members such as cashiers and security workers, the store also will require around 75 food service workers for its planned 350-seat restaurant, “Swedish Foodmarket” and “Cafe Bistro.”

The new 356,000-square-foot IKEA store will sit on 25 acres and feature 10,000 “exclusively designed” items, three model homes, 50 room vignettes and a children’s play area.